Ever wonder why this newsletter is called The Observer? It’s because observation is such a fundamental part of Montessori education. At Hollis Montessori School, evaluation of student progress relies heavily on the guides’ observation of students’ work and activities in the classroom. In addition, parents are strongly encouraged to observe their children’s classrooms and the work that goes on there.
The Montessori approach to education welcomes parental involvement. By building connections between home and school, the parents' observation of the Montessori environment aims to reinforce the learning experience and make the transition from home to school seamless and coherent. When parents and teachers combine their efforts and understand each other's roles together they can help children grow into mature and self-reliant adults.
When a parent observes the child in the uninterrupted setting of the classroom, they learn about their child’s capability and skill set. Parents discover things they would have been unable to identify if they were directly involved with their child. Gathering this information and observing the details helps parents to respond rather than react to situations. Observation helps parents to understand the strengths and needs of their children and to identify the development and achievement that the child has made. Observation also helps parents observe their children as they are, not just how they expect them to behave.
The pandemic temporarily halted in-class observations, so we’re really happy they have become feasible again. The Day family joined the school in the fall of 2020, smack-dab in the middle of the pandemic. They observed a classroom in January 2020 when they were applying for the following year, but they had never seen the classroom with their own children in it.
Lynnae and Brian Day finally got to experience their first parental observation this month, visiting the CH2 and LE1 classrooms, and we spoke to Lynnae after the experience.
Lynnae’s son Jonathan in Children’s House II
“There is so much going on in a Montessori classroom! It's delightful to observe the children in both classrooms working independently and enthusiastically” Lynnae said. And while it can be somewhat overwhelming as an outside observer because there is so much activity and movement going on, that only made her “all the more in awe of the work the guides & assistants do to nurture each child's journey.”
Hollis Montessori was a lifesaver for the family when they first joined in the fall of 2020. It was a big adjustment for their kids after having been at home with them “all.the.time since the pandemic started!” But this week's observation made her immensely grateful for how far they’ve all come and it renewed her conviction “that my kids are where they need to be.”
Lynnae’s daughter Amy working with the Large Bead Frame in Lower Elementary I
When asked how the observation made her feel about her kids, she noted that they “have grown leaps and bounds since starting at Hollis Montessori!” During the pandemic, we kept siblings together in the same classroom to limit contact between cohorts, so the Day kids were in a classroom together their first two years. Lynnae says that during that period, they were “glued at the hip–one of them rarely worked without their sibling most of that time. Now that they are in different classrooms, it was gratifying to see them both thriving in their independence.”
What she hadn’t expected to see in the classroom was the commitment to letting children figure out challenging work on their own. “One child spent our entire observation rolling & unrolling an underlay, trying to get it right. The child didn't seem to be getting frustrated, just diligently kept working at it. Eventually the child asked for and received help, but from other classmates instead of a guide. It was a beautiful picture of having the space to learn, but also practice asking for help when it's truly needed.”
As a parent, Lynnae found the experience “Gratifying. Delightful. And even a little emotional” She was really happy to see her kids “confidently working in a busy environment.” Looking back at the observation they made before their kids enrolled, she says that the main difference between that one and the one this week was “the joy of getting to watch our own kids at work. And I can't wait to do another observation later in the school year!”
Amy and Jonathan at a Hollis Montessori pumpkin carving event this fall